Be Transformed

¹Therefore I urge y’all, siblings, by the mercies of God, to present y’all’s bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your* proper sacred service.

²Y’all must not be conformed to this world. Instead y’all are to be transformed by the renovation of your* mind, so that y’all may test and approve what the will of God is—that which is good, pleasing, and perfect.

³For through the grace that was given me I say to every one of y’all: do not think of yourself more highly than y’all should. Instead y’all should think with sound judgment, as God has apportioned a measure of faith to each person.

⁴For just as we have one body with many members, and not all the members have the same function,

⁵so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another,

⁶but having differing gifts according to the grace that was given to us: if prophecy, use it according to the proportion of faith;

⁷or deacon-work, then deacon-work; if teaching, then teach;

⁸if an exhorter, then exhort; if a giver, then generously; if a leader, then with diligence; if a mercy giver, then with cheerfulness.

Act in Love

⁹Love must be sincere, hating what is evil and clinging to what is good.

¹⁰Be devoted to one another with mutual love and honor one another above yourselves,

¹¹not lacking in zeal, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord,

¹²rejoicing in hope, enduring in oppression, persisting in prayer,

¹³contributing to the needs of the saints, and practicing hospitality.

¹⁴Y’all are to bless those who persecute you*; bless and do not curse.

¹⁵Y’all are to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep,

¹⁶being of the same mind toward another, not being high minded, but associating with the lowly. Y’all must not become wise in your own estimation.

¹⁷Y’all must never repay evil for evil; consider what is excellent before all humans.

¹⁸If possible, as far as it depends on y’all, be at peace with all humans.

¹⁹Don’t seek revenge, beloved, but y’all must leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written, “Vengeance belongs to me, I will repay,” says the Lord.[#Deuteronomy 32:35]

²⁰Therefore

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him.

If he is thirsty, give him a drink;

for in doing so, you will heap coals of fire on his head.”

²¹Don’t be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.